After the Wedding
by ellsbells10
Summary: What happens when Cate and Ryan return from their honeymoon and Lux is unhappy that Cate's with Ryan instead of Baze
1. Chapter 1

**Cate smiled as Ryan pulled up to Baze's bar. They'd come back from their Hawaiian honeymoon early to surprise Lux. Cate couldn't believe how much she'd missed Lux. Even though she'd gone 15 years without her daughter, now she couldn't stand to go a week without seeing Lux.**

**The bar was quiet. Typical. Baze was probably still sleeping even though it was almost noon. Cate headed upstairs to look for Lux. **

**Cate opened the shower curtain that separated Lux's makeshift room from Baze's apartment, excited to see her daughter, but quickly went from excited to angry and appalled when she found Lux **_**and**_** Bug fast asleep in Lux's bed.**

"**Lux," Cate said, standing over her daughter. She knew Lux wasn't a virgin. She hated it, but she knew it. She also knew Lux was sleeping with Bug. She knew they couldn't stop Lux from being with Bug, no matter how much she wanted to. But, how could Baze just allow Bug to spend the night with Lux? They were new to being parents, but what kind of parent condoned their teen having sex with a tattooed auto thief?**

**Lux woke up with a start. Groggily she realized Cate was there. Cate was supposed to be on her honeymoon. "What's wrong? Why are you back?" Lux asked, hoping Cate had realized she was meant to be with Baze and rushed back to find him.**

"**What's wrong is that Bug spent the night," Cate said pointedly. "Where is Baze when this is going on? He is unbelievable! I can't even trust him to take care of you for a week."**

**Lux had totally forgotten Bug was there. Baze had been completely depressed since Cate's wedding. He slept all the time and wouldn't talk to anyone. Not even Lux. Bug had been staying with her because Baze was too preoccupied to notice, or care. "Maybe Baze has had other things on his mind," Lux shot back. "And it's not like I've never spent the night with Bug before."**

"**Get your stuff. We're going home," Cate said firmly.**

**Lux rolled her eyes. Cate had only been back for a few minutes and was already ordering her around. She was about to argue when she heard Baze. She couldn't stand to see Cate attack him. He was already feeling bad enough. Lux needed to get Cate out of there. Fast. "Fine," Lux replied, quickly grabbing her things and following Cate out to the car.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ryan could tell they'd been fighting when Cate and Lux got into the car. Neither spoke on the ride to Cate's. Lux immediately went up to the attic, making it clear she had no intention of talking.**

"**What happened?" Ryan asked gently.**

"**She was in bed with Bug. I got to be the bad guy, as usual," Cate said sadly. She hated having to be the bad guy all the time.**

**Ryan frowned. "Where the hell was Baze?"**

"**Not taking care of Lux," Cate retorted.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Lux stayed in the attic until that evening, when she figured Cate would have gotten over finding her with Bug. She headed for the front door without saying anything.**

"**Where are you going?" Cate's voice stopped her.**

"**Out," Lux replied.**

"**No," Cate said.**

"**What?" Lux turned toward Cate incredulously. Cate had told her what to do before, but she had never actually told Lux no. **

**Cate hated this. She knew Lux would get mad at her and probably take off anyway. But, she did not want Lux going out with Bug, doing who knows what. "No. Ryan and I just got back. We're going to spend time as a family tonight."**

"**Great, go for it. Who's stopping you?" Lux said sarcastically.**

"_**You**_**, Ryan and I are going to spend time together."**

"**We are not a family, Cate," Lux spat. "Baze, you and I are a family. I'm leaving."**

**From the other room, Lux's words hit Ryan hard. He knew she was angry and didn't mean it. But, he really cared for her and it hurt to hear her say them nonetheless.**

**He swallowed and entered the room to block the door. "No, you're not." He knew Cate needed backup with Lux, and she clearly wasn't getting it from Baze.**

**Lux glared at Ryan. He stared at her stonily. When she realized they really weren't going to back off, she headed back to the attic without a word.**

_**Who does Cate think she is?**_** Lux wondered. **_**She wasn't here when I needed her. Now I'm 16. I don't need her telling me what to do all the time. What gives her the right? She may be my mother biologically, but I've only known her for a few months. She has no right to tell me what to do, none at all.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Lux had barely slept. She was going crazy in the attic, but dreaded going downstairs. She knew as soon as she did, she and Cate would begin Round 2.**

**She quietly crept downstairs, hoping to get something to eat without running into Cate or Ryan. No sign of them. Maybe they were still in bed? **

**As Lux neared the kitchen, she heard them and stopped. They were laughing. She couldn't believe it. They'd been perfectly happy all along, while she was miserable. Clearly, Cate didn't feel too badly about their fight.**

"**Only you could ruin cereal," Ryan teased.**

**They were both exhausted. It had been a rough night. Cate had shown just how tired she was when she proceeded to pour orange juice on their cereal instead of milk.**

"**You know, you're going to have to learn to cook before we have a kid. I don't want you poisoning a defenseless baby," Ryan continued lightheartedly.**

**Lux drew in a sharp breath. She'd been listening at the door. She backed away slowly. She didn't hear the rest of the exchange. **

"**At least Lux can tell you when you're trying to feed her something inedible," Ryan teased.**

"**When she's speaking to me," Cate said sadly. "I just want to be with her, but she keeps pushing me away."**

"**I know what you mean. I once knew this girl who pushed everyone away because she was afraid of losing them," Ryan said pointedly.**

"**What did you do about it?" Cate asked, smiling.**

"**I married her," Ryan said, laughing. "You two are so much alike."**


	5. Chapter 5

**Without thinking, Lux took off. On autopilot, she ended up at the bench by the water, where she always went to think.**

**She'd known things would be different after Cate married Ryan. The family she'd known with Cate and Baze for such a short time was over. Nothing would ever be the same. It was Ryan and Cate now. **

**And soon they would have their own child. Lux felt stupid. It had never even occurred to her that they would be thinking of starting their own family, but why shouldn't they? Cate could do it right this time. She wouldn't give this baby away. This baby wouldn't be a constant reminder of painful mistakes. This baby wouldn't punish her. This baby wouldn't be damaged.**

**Where would Lux fit in? She wouldn't, she knew. As much as she pushed Cate away, she wanted more than anything to be close to Cate. She wouldn't be able to stand it when Cate chose this new baby over her, loved this new baby more than her. **

**Determined to avoid the feeling she knew all too well, Lux decided to do what she always did-run, leave before Cate could tell her to leave. Lux was going to stay with Baze. Permanently. **

**Lux made up her mind and headed toward the bar. Baze had been so great to her. And how had she repaid him? By convincing him to tell Cate how he felt. Cate had broken his heart. Lux was determined to make things right with Baze. **

**Lux knew where to find Baze. He'd barely left his room since the wedding. That stopped now. She was going to help Baze get over Cate. They could get over Cate together.**


	6. Chapter 6

"**I-I'm sorry," Lux stammered when she walked in on Baze and some girl she'd never seen before.**

**Baze looked up, horrified. He'd thought Lux was with Cate. Jaime had dragged him out the night before. After drowning his sorrows with one too many drinks, he'd ended up bringing a girl back. He dressed quickly and tried to catch Lux to explain, but she'd already disappeared.**

_**Maybe he wasn't depressed all this time**_**, Lux thought. **_**Maybe he's just mad at me. I convinced him to tell Cate how he felt. And, worse still, I convinced Cate to marry Ryan.**_


	7. Chapter 7

"**She must be more mad at me than usual. I can't believe she's still avoiding me," Cate said eventually.**

"**Do you want me to go talk to her?" Ryan asked, used to being the buffer between an angry Lux and her parents.**

"**No, I'll go," Cate replied. This was between her and Lux. She geared up for a fight as she climbed the attic stairs.**

**Cate was surprised to find the attic empty. When could Lux have taken off? Cate hadn't heard anything and she'd been awake all night, replaying their argument in her head.**

**Cate called Lux's cell, but, as usual when Lux was mad, Lux didn't answer. She sighed and called Baze to find out if he knew where Lux was.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Baze glanced at caller ID and hit ignore. He wasn't ready to talk to Cate yet. **

**He still couldn't believe he'd messed everything up so badly. If he'd only gotten to the church a few minutes earlier, he could've told Cate how he really felt. He and Cate could be together. Lux would never have walked in on him and his one-night-stand. **

**First Abby and now this. Lux was never going to respect him. She'd always think of him as a friend.**

"**Where's Lux?" Cate's accusatory tone brought Baze back from his thoughts.**

**He stared at Cate. What was she doing here? He didn't know what to say or how to act. He still couldn't decide if he should tell Cate how he felt, or back off now that she was married. Jaime told him to fight for her, but Math made him think the right thing to do was to let her be happy with Ryan.**

"**Well?" Cate demanded. When Baze didn't answer his phone, she'd shown up at his place looking for Lux.**

"**Well what, Cate? I don't know where Lux is. Isn't she supposed to be with you?" Baze retorted.**

**Cate sighed. "She's mad at me. I told her she couldn't go out last night and she snuck out. She didn't come here?"**

**Baze hesitated. He didn't want to admit Lux had caught him with another girl, but if Lux was mad at both of them, they needed to find her. "Yes, she came here, but she got mad at me, too. She's probably at Bug's."**

"**Oh, speaking of Bug, what were you thinking letting him stay here?" Cate said angrily.**

"**What?" Baze asked, shocked.**

"**You didn't know he was staying here? I know it's a lot to expect for you to be responsible, but when Lux is with you, you need-"**

"**You're one to talk," Baze cut Cate off. "She snuck out on your watch, Cate, not mine."**

"**You know what, this has to stop. We just need to stop fighting each other and present a united front," Cate said. "Otherwise Lux is never going to listen to either of us. She'll just take off whenever either of us tells her something she doesn't like. Look how far that pattern has gotten us."**

"**You're right," Baze agreed. "Let's go get her from Bug's and tell her she has to start playing by our rules."**


	9. Chapter 9

**Bug was surprised when Lux showed up at his door. "How'd you ditch Cate?" He asked, knowing Cate didn't like him and hadn't exactly been thrilled to find them together the other morning.**

"**She's busy with Ryan," Lux replied.**

**Bug smiled. "Then I guess we're in luck." He drew her in and kissed her. **

**As they moved to the bed, Lux dropped her bag and money fell out. A lot of money. "What, did you rob a bank?" Bug asked.**

"**No, it's my savings," Lux explained.**

"**What's going on?" Bug stared at Lux.**

"**I want to go get Tasha and go to Mexico, like we always talked about," Lux said. **

"**But why? I thought you were happy. You wanted to be with Cate and Baze."**

"**Cate and Baze are never going to be a happy family. Cate's with Ryan and Baze is enjoying being single," Lux said sadly.**

"**Since when is Baze enjoying being single? He's been moping around since the wedding," Bug pointed out. **

"**Yeah, well, he's not anymore!" Lux said angrily.**

"**Lux, I don't understand. You've always wanted a family and you finally have one. A real one. I've seen how much Cate and Baze care about you. I wish I could…" Bug broke off, unable to talk about his screwed up family without losing it.**

**That was what she'd always wanted, but the family she'd imagined with Cate and Baze was an illusion. "Cate and Baze aren't my real family. Tasha and you, you're my family. Please," Lux begged. She couldn't stand to stay there unwanted. **

**They would never tell her they didn't want her, but she'd know. She'd see Baze enjoying his single life. He didn't want a teenager. She'd just be in the way. **

**She'd see Cate and Ryan and their new baby. They'd be the perfect family, if only the unwanted mistake wasn't in the picture. **_**I'm the unwanted mistake**_**, Lux thought miserably.**

**Before Bug could respond, they heard banging on the door and Cate's voice. "Lux, we need to talk!"**

**Bug looked at Lux, unsure what to do. Lux shook her head. "I can't deal with them right now," she whispered.**

"**We're not leaving until you open the door!" Baze yelled.**

**Bug didn't know what to do. He knew Baze. Baze was actually a pretty good guy. And he obviously loved Lux. "I have to open the door. My neighbors are going to complain if they keep this up," Bug finally said, heading for the door. **

**Bug was met with an icy glare from Baze. "I give you a job and a second chance and this is what you do in return? Sneak around with my daughter?"**

"**It's not his fault," Lux said. **

"**You're right. It's yours. You know I didn't want you going out and you snuck out," Cate accused.**

"**What's this? Drug money?" Baze demanded when he saw Lux's savings on the floor.**

**Bug looked at Lux helplessly. "It's not his money. It's mine," Lux said.**

"**Why do you need this much money?" Cate demanded. As realization dawned on her, she added, "You weren't going to come back, were you?"**

"**Of course she was going to come back," Baze said, before looking at Lux's face and seeing the truth there. **

**Lux sighed. She'd wanted to leave without saying goodbye. She couldn't stand to see them hurt, but she needed to do this. She had to tell them she didn't want to stay with them. Before they could tell her they didn't want her.**

"**No, I'm not coming back. I'm staying with Bug," Lux said defiantly.**

"**Is this because of Ryan?" Cate asked. "Lux, you said you were OK with me marrying him."**

"**I know what I said!" Lux cried out, wishing she could take it back. If only she'd asked Cate to postpone the wedding, they could be a family. "Just leave me alone!"**

"**We can't do that. We're your parents," Baze said slowly, giving Lux a hard look.**

"**What, then? Because I wouldn't let you go out last night?" Cate demanded.**

"_**Let**_** me?" Lux said, venom in her voice. "What makes you think I need your permission to do anything? What, I've known you for a few months and suddenly I can't do anything without your permission?"**

**Lux's words stung. But, they had talked about this in the car. They hated what Lux had been through. They hated that they weren't there. But now that they were, they needed to do what was best for Lux, even if it meant she got mad and lashed out. **

"**Yes, that's how the whole parent thing works, Kiddo," Baze said lightly. He wanted Lux to see him as her father, not her friend. But he hated fighting with her.**

**Cate swallowed. "Lux, you know I hate myself for not being there for you before, but I'm here now. Whether you like it or not. Come on, we're going home." Cate grabbed Lux's arm and pulled her toward the door. **

**Lux struggled. "I'm not going anywhere." **

**Lux had gotten mad at them plenty of times. They'd always asked her to come home, but they'd never tried to force her. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't expecting this.**

"**Yes, you are," Baze said firmly, grabbing Lux's other arm. Together, they led Lux to the car even though she fought them the whole way.**

"**What is wrong with you?" Lux shrieked. "You can't just drag me home-"**

"**No, Lux, **_**you**_** can't keep taking off," Cate replied angrily. "You said you wanted to make it work with us. But every time you don't get your way, you leave."**

"**That stops now," Baze agreed. "And you can't stay with me when you're mad at Cate anymore."**

"**You just don't want me cramping your style," Lux accused. **

"**What?" Cate wondered, looking at Baze.**

**Baze grimaced. He'd been hoping to avoid this conversation topic. "You're my daughter, Lux. You aren't cramping my style."**

**Lux rolled her eyes. Baze was trying not to tell Cate what happened. He must still have feelings for her. Maybe there was still a chance for Cate and Baze.**

**What had happened between Baze and Lux? He'd never said. Could he be with Abby again? Why did she even care? She was with Ryan now, Cate reminded herself.**

**They drove the rest of the way in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. **

**When they arrived at Cate's, Lux immediately started for the attic. Cate followed her this time. Lux sighed, wishing Cate would leave her alone, but resigned to talking.**

"**Lux, we need to talk about this." Cate stared at her daughter.**

"**No, we don't. Just leave me alone," Lux replied.**

**Cate grabbed Lux's shoulders and looked at her. "You should know by now that's not going to happen."**

"**No?" Lux asked. "What about when you and Ryan have a baby?"**

"**What?" Cate said, exasperated. "What makes you think we're going to have a baby? We **_**just**_** got married."**

"**I heard you, Cate," Lux accused. "I heard you talking about having a baby."**

**Cate racked her brain trying to figure out where Lux could have gotten the idea that they were going to have a baby. She came up with nothing. "Lux, I don't know what you heard, but Ryan and I are not having a baby." Cate sighed. "And if we ever do, we'll **_**all**_** be a family."**

**Lux couldn't believe Cate was denying it. "Ryan said you had to learn to cook before…" she broke off when Cate started laughing.**

"**That's what you heard? Lux, he was kidding," Cate explained. "I didn't sleep well. I was so tired I poured orange juice on the cereal instead of milk. We weren't talking about having a baby. We aren't."**

**Lux wanted to die of embarrassment. Cate must think she was so stupid for jumping to the wrong conclusion. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.**

**Cate hugged her daughter close. After a moment, she sat down on Lux's bed and motioned for Lux to join her. **

"**I know we're both still learning what it means to be a family, but you have got to start talking to me when something is bothering you. Instead of leaving," Cate said pointedly.**

**Lux nodded.**

"**I'm done being maternal now, I promise," Cate said. "Let's go see if we can find something to eat."**

"**Actually, I need to talk to Bug," Lux replied. They'd just left. And Baze had blamed Bug for everything, but none of it was his fault. He'd really changed.**

"**No, Lux, you're not going to Bug's. I don't trust you with him right now," Cate said firmly.**

"**What?" Lux asked incredulously. "I said I was sorry. I'm not mad at you anymore. I'm not going to do anything."**

"**But you knew I didn't want you to go out and you snuck out anyway," Cate admonished.**

"**I only left because I was mad at you," Lux shot back.**

"**That doesn't make it OK," Cate maintained. "You know how I had to prove that I'd changed to you and Ryan? Well, now it's your turn to prove to me that you've changed, that you won't take off anymore."**

**Lux glared at Cate. She could tell Cate wasn't going to back down, though. She decided to play along for now.**


End file.
